Air Force Uses Gaming Technology to Train Drone Analysts

How do you survive countless falls, hundreds of bullet wounds and being “blown up thousands of times?”

Let your avatar do the work for you.

Max Grattan does just that while operating in virtual training simulations for Air Force imagery analysts. His 3-D avatar role often requires the Air Force technician to play a terrorist or other combatant, in a program designed to mimic real-world scenarios that drone footage analysts will likely be asked to interpret.

The intelligence and reconnaissance imagery is typically gathered from multiple cameras, but sometimes just a single unmanned aerial vehicle captures footage, peering thousands of feet down to the operational environment. These analysts are then asked to determine whether or not a subject is dangerous, should be taken out or is an innocent civilian.

Without realistic training, it might be impossible to make the right call.